U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Fallen Officers Live on Through 2001 National Police Week

NCJ Number
188708
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 68 Issue: 5 Dated: May 2001 Pages: 22-24,26,27
Author(s)
Craig W. Floyd
Date Published
May 2001
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article describes the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and the activities of National Police Week.
Abstract
The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., was dedicated in 1991, when it contained the names of approximately 12,500 officers who had made the ultimate sacrifice. Today, there are more than 15,000 names on the memorial's marble walls, dating back to the earliest death in 1792. Each of the 313 new names engraved this year (2001) will be read on May 13 at the conclusion of the memorial's annual candlelight vigil. This event, which was attended by more than 15,000 law enforcement officers, survivors of fallen officers, and police supporters from across the country, marked the official start of National Police Week, May 13-19, 2001. Another special event that has become part of the Police Week tradition is a bagpipe band procession and ceremony sponsored by the National Police Emerald Societies. For five straight years, hundreds of police bagpipers and drummers marched to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial on the evening of May 14 to a concert and wreath-laying ceremony in honor of America's fallen officers. Earlier on that same day, some 3,000 police officers on motorcycles will arrive at the memorial grounds, providing still more evidence of National Police Week's dramatic growth over the years.